The Fault In Our Stars

"Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are books which you can't tell people about. Books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal." - John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Looking for Alaska

"You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it’ll be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present." - John Green, Looking for Alaska

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss, the author whose imaginative books (The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax - which is out in theatres today) inspired me to develop a love for words and a love for rhymes (and a love for words that rhyme) very early on in my childhood.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Freedom To Read Week

Can you picture a world where we didn’t know who Atticus Finch, Holden Caulfield, and Harry Potter were? These iconic characters may have never entered into our imaginations had literary censorship prevailed in all of its contested cases.

Organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council, Freedom to Read Week promotes the importance of intellectual freedom and raises awareness around issues of literary censorship. From February 26^th to March 3^rd , Canadians are encouraged to reflect upon and reaffirm their commitment to this concept, which is a right guaranteed to citizens under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that is too often taken for granted in our society.

Even in a democratic nation like Canada, schools, libraries, and bookstores are frequently asked to remove books, magazines, and other publications with controversial content from their shelves. Literary censorship infringes upon Canadians’ fundamental freedom of “thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication” as outlined in the Charter. By limiting public access to certain reading material, great consequences can occur, such as compromising the stream of information, ideas, and opinions which results from devouring thought-provoking literature. It’s time to take a stand against literary censorship by vocalizing our concerns over this smothering of creativity and free thought.

Freedom to Read Week advocates for the protection of our fundamental freedom of choice and expression. Throughout the week, several public events will take place in libraries, schools, and cultural venues across Canada. A complete calendar of events and a list of ways to support Freedom to Read-related initiatives are available on their website.

Release challenged and banned books in your communities and around the world through Book Crossing, a fun and innovative way for Canadians to help spread the word about literary censorship. For ideas on which book titles you can set free, refer to Freedom to Read’s list of challenged literature over the past decades.

For the latest updates on the week-long campaign, follow Freedom to Read Week on Twitter and Facebook.

We Were Infinite.

Encouraged by the knowledge that Emma Watson is starring in the film adaptation of this popular young adult novel, I read Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The coming-of-age story follows protagonist, Charlie, in his freshman year of high school through a series of letters that he writes to his 'Dear Friend'. I was intrigued by the deep, observant, inquisitive, and empathetic character of Charlie. His thoughts on the infinite unity shared between people through the music they love is the one that sticks out to me the most:

"I had an amazing feeling when I finally held the tape in my hand. I just thought to myself that in the palm of my hand, there was this one tape that had all of these memories and feelings and great joy and sadness. Right there in the palm of my hand. And I thought about how many people have loved those songs. And how many people got through a lot of bad times because of those songs. And how many people enjoyed good times with those songs. And how much those songs really mean. I think it would be great to have written one of those songs. I bet if I wrote one of them, I would be very proud."

That is ultimately what any artist wants to achieve - the ability to help someone through song.

The Girl Who Was On Fire

With her fighting spirit and fiery nature, the protagonist from The Hunger Games may potentially become one of my favourite literary heroines - right up there with Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood.  

Katniss Everdeen: The Girl Who Was On Fire